Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 267.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,565 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,879 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 614.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,039,640 shares of the company's stock valued at $146,359,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614,241 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,477,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,075,000 after purchasing an additional 17,565 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 6.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,436,821 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,496,000 after purchasing an additional 88,997 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 923,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,521,000 after purchasing an additional 16,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.5% during the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 906,391 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,803,000 after purchasing an additional 13,701 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 0.1 %

SFM stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $74.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 868,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,363,813. The company has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.50. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.12 and a 12 month high of $75.95. The business's 50 day moving average price is $64.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $53.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.12. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 26.77% and a net margin of 4.25%. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Kim Coffin sold 1,322 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total transaction of $99,216.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,500 shares in the company, valued at $412,775. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Kim Coffin sold 1,322 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total transaction of $99,216.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $412,775. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 22,799 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.98, for a total transaction of $1,367,484.02. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,328 shares in the company, valued at $499,513.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 198,348 shares of company stock worth $12,818,196 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SFM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $31.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $48.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.13.

Sprouts Farmers Market Profile

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the retailing of fresh, natural, and organic food products under the Sprouts brand in the United States. It offers perishable product categories, including fresh produce, meat and meat alternatives, seafood, deli, bakery, floral, and dairy and dairy alternatives; and non-perishable product categories, such as grocery, vitamins and supplements, bulk items, frozen foods, beer and wine, and natural health and body care.